Day 15

I am reminded of Somerset Maugham's travel books, and his need to read in the midst of his long journeys. How he made sure to read each sentence thoroughly, not so much to get at its essence, but to make the book last as long as possible. I am of a similar mind, as I find that I need some kind of mental activity, such as reading a book, to eat into the rich amount of time a traveler is in possession of. When I was moving through Boulder City for a number of weeks, all I owned were a pair of shoes and clothing, I had no books, no computer, no drawing materials. I was like a man in a desert in search of water, and the only place in town which sold books was a small thrift store. Most of the books in the store were trashy romance dramas, but I remember finding a book of 2 short stories by Stephen Crane, and I recall reading through those pages extra slow so that the book would not end. The other book I bought was a desert survival guide, which seemed appropriate, because when I left Boulder City I hiked to Lake Mead through the desert and wandered about for a number of weeks living in a tent.

And so tonight I finished a self published book by Jeff Sawyer, "An Inquiry Into Living", this being the second time I have read it. I hate to sell it, but I don't want to be carrying more than one book with me at any one time.  And now I have an extra gap of time which needs to be filled with something other than reading. At this point it begins to feel like I am starving in a room with no food and so the stomach stops complaining and the mind starts to find ways to occupy itself with something other than thoughts of food. I gaze at the 4 walls of the hotel and ponder who knows what - memories, thoughts of the future, wondering when and how death is going to arrive. I have now officially entered into my own personal travel adventure.